Derek Jeter

From ArticleWorld

Derek Jeter was born in June 1974 in Pequannock, New Jersey. He spent most of his childhood years in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He played both baseball and basketball for his high school, Kalamazoo Central High School. In 1992, the American Baseball Coaches Association named him High School Player of the Year. He was awarded a baseball scholarship by the University of Michigan but ended up forgoing college because the New York Yankees drafted him. He played in their farm system until he made his major league debut on May 29, 1995.

Career

In 1996, his first full season, Derek Jeter was named Rookie of the Year. That year he had a .316 batting average and homered in Game 1 of the World Series. The homerun was controversial because it was actually pulled out of play by a fan. In 1998, he batted .324, made his first appearance in the All-Star game, and led the American League with 127 runs. In 2000, Jeter was voted MVP of both the All-Star Game and the World Series. He was awarded the Golden Glove in both 2004 and 2005. He is considered one of the best clutch players of the postseason in the history of baseball. He has played in the postseason every year of his major league career, has earned four World Series rings and helped the Yankees win six American League Championships. In addition, he has been voted to the All-Star team six times. As of last season, Jeter has earned a career .306 postseason batting average including 16 home runs and 46 RBI's and a record 142 postseason hits.

Giving back

In 1996, Jeter founded the charity organization, the Turn 2 Foundation. Its main goals are to help children and teenagers avoid drugs and alcohol and reward students for high academic achievement. The symbology of the name, Turn 2, is twofold. Besides the obvious baseball reference, it shows kids that there is a place they can turn to when they need to.